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Toyota’s cute ‘ute RAV4 has changed significantly since the first-generation model arrived for model-year 1997. In a previous post, we examined the performance of RAV4 V-6 models past and present. But now that the six-cylinder option is being dropped with the fourth-gen RAV4, let’s take a look back at all the test data Motor Trend has acquired on the four-cylinder-powered version of Toyota’s compact crossover offering.

When the RAV4 was new to the U.S. market in the late 1990s, its 0-60 mph time of 11.4 seconds and quarter-mile result of 18.4 seconds at 76.4 mph were par for the course. Also competitive for the then-new class was its 148-hp, 142-lb-ft 2.0-liter I-4 and five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. That powertrain combo served the RAV4 until 2004, when the CUV received a larger 2.4-liter I-4, which produced 161 hp and 165 lb-ft of torque. Despite getting an upgraded engine, the RAV4 continued to offer a four-speed unit in automatic-equipped four-cylinder models (V-6s got a five-speed auto). Still, the extra horsepower helped the refreshed RAV4 clock a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds, with the quarter-mile now arriving in 17.2 seconds at 78.6 mph. With a manual transmission and all-wheel drive, those times are reduced substantially, as a so-equipped 2005 RAV4 recorded a 0-60 time of 7.8 seconds and 16.1-second quarter-mile at 84.0 mph.

Fast forward to 2013, where the fourth-gen RAV4 gets a 176-hp, 172-lb-ft 2.5-liter I-4, six-speed automatic transmission. The front-drive 2013 Toyota RAV4 XLE we recently tested hit 60 mph from a standstill in 8.4 seconds – still not blazing fast, but improved by a whole second compared to the last automatic four-speed, four-cylinder model we tested. The new RAV4 is also quicker in the quarter-mile at 16.4 seconds at 85.8 mph.

Check out all of our test numbers below to see how the RAV4’s performance has changed over the years.